Only You Can See Me: A Randall Boggs Fanfic
by Lil' Pink Coupe
Summary: "Randy?" "That's me." "I'm scared..and my ear hurts." "Aaaww...come here,toots. Let me hold you." Just a fictionalized memoir of the true story of a little girl and her imaginary monster friend.I hope you guys like it!
1. Intro

Only You Can See Me: A Randall Boggs Fanfic

PLEASE READ:

Hello, fellow readers and writers – and fellow Randall fans, of course! As you might have guessed by now, the following fic is a Randall - centric one (one of the many I've seen here - great job, you guys! xD). Don't get me wrong, I like Mike and Sully, too (Mike's just outrageously funny, and Sully's a big fuzzy flufflepuff - what's not to like?) but ole Randall's always been my fave. Ever since I first saw Monsters Inc in theaters when I was nine. :)

Why do I like Randall so much? Well, that's a bit complicated...I'm not even sure I know precisely why I do, much less articulate it in a meaningful way. Maybe it was because I admired (and secretly envied) his ability to change colors and turn himself invisible at will. Or maybe it was simply because he was my three favorite colors: purple, pink and aqua. Or it could have been the adorable way his eyes cross when he's about to sneeze (Man, if I could find a screencap of his sneezy widdle face right then, I'd be the happiest fangirl alive :P). But I think probably the main reason why I was so drawn to him is because..well...you could just feel safe with him. You just had this sense that he'd always protect you, and if something was scaring you, he'd turn himself invisible and kick the fire out of it until you weren't scared anymore. Shoot, Randall was even my imaginary friend when I was a kid...and that's what the following fic is largely based on. My OC, nine - year - old Peggy, is the ficitional representation of myself at the same age.

Anyway, here's some background...the story takes place about a year or so after Mike and Sully *sneezecough* illegally *sneezecough* banished him to the trailer in Louisiana. From there, Randall escapes, and he ends up at an urban park where he meets Peggy for the first time.

If anyone's interested, there's this great video on Youtube that does an awesome job of pleading Randall's case...just type in, "Why Randall Boggs Is Not Evil" and it should come right up! It's not my video (I don't have a YT vaccount), but it really drives home my main points about why Randall is basically good at heart, and simply was desperate and just made bad choices. Waternoose was the real villain, and all the Randall Haters know it. *scowls*

Well, have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's, and enjoy the fic! :D

"You hear that? It's the winds of change." - Randall


	2. I See Your True Colors Shining Through

The early – April warmth gently caressed the chameleon's back as he watched the children running through the 4 – foot – tall spurts of water that shot from the tiny fountainheads in the ground. The children all varied in age and size, and they all wore brilliantly – colored swimsuits and shorts as they screamed with laughter and tried to avoid getting hit with blasts of sparkling water.

If they were only aware that their play was being observed by a large, eight – legged chameleon, they certainly wouldn't have conducted themselves in such a carefree manner.

As it was, the kids playing had no idea that they were being watched – or who they were being watched by, for that matter. How could they, when the stealthy, lizard – like creature watching them had the ability to turn himself invisible at will? And not just turn himself invisible, but change into any color or pattern imaginable?

The lizard had to smile in spite of himself as he watched the children run about in the sprinklers without a care in the world. Whenever a kid ran past him, spraying water as they ran, he felt a small, tickling flutter in the depths of his stomach. He wished he could jump in there and join the fun by blending in with the rainbow of colors created by the constant, wet blur of swimsuits, but he dared not. It was best that he stay invisible, at least for right now. Even though he hadn't the least intention of frightening or harming a child in any way, shape or form, he knew that if he revealed himself, none of that would matter to them. To everyone who had ever laid eyes on him, even his own kind, he was nothing but the worst kind of monster imaginable.

To distract himself from the awful, traumatic memories that were now threatening to engulf him, he went back to watching the children play. He sighed. He once was able to play with a child once. The two of them had such fun together…while it had lasted. _He_ could have told everyone that children were not toxic, which was the popular belief in the world he had come from….the world that had spurned him for being reptilian and possessing talents that no one had.

Just then, a little girl caught his eye. Unlike all the other children who were wearing swimsuits and trunks, she was wearing an aqua shirt and a pair of orange shorts with tiny butterflies on them. The large, invisible reptile smiled when he saw her shirt…..it was the same color that was swathed across his lower back and tail. If this little girl liked to wear shirts of that particular color, then she would like how his back and tail were the same color….wouldn't she?

Furthermore, the girl had short, dark brown hair that appeared black when it became wet. She had a pleasantly round face, and wore glasses that were now sprinkled with droplets of water from the fountains spurting from the ground. Another thing that set her apart from all the other playing children was the way she ran into the water, but seemed unsure of what else she was supposed to do. It was almost as though she waited for a set of instructions before acting of her own accord.

Just then, there came splashes of water, and two teenage African – American girls came rushing up to the group of kids that the little girl was among. At first, the little dark – haired girl yelped and shielded herself from the splashes of water, but looked up with interest when she noticed that the teens had very inquisitive and friendly – looking redear turtles in tow.

"Hey! Hey, you guys! Who wants a turtle? We can't keep 'em, so we're giving them away! They're free!" one of the girls announced loudly, so her offer would be heard amidst the splashing and ruckus.

The little dark – haired girl's face lit up, and she approached one of the teenage girls with her hand outstretched to pet one of the turtles. She had never had a pet before, and she had always thought turtles were pretty cute.

"I want one!" she announced, working her way into the crowd of other kids that were gathering around. The chameleon chuckled to himself as he watched. _She sure seems to like animals, _he thought.

"No, Peggy!" came a firm voice out of nowhere. The little girl jumped rather guiltily and whirled around. Even the invisible chameleon, seven – foot – long, sharp – fanged, eight – legged fellow that he was, startled a bit, too.

"Don't you touch those! They can make you very sick!" commanded the voice, and at this point, the chameleon saw that the sharp, firm voice belonged to a tall woman, presumably the girl's mother. The girl's mother rushed onto the scene and pulled the little girl away from the teens with their turtles.

"Aww, Mom! I just wanted to pet them! They won't bite!" Peggy pleaded.

"Absolutely NOT!" Peggy's mother retorted. "Reptiles are covered in germs, and can give you salmonella poisoning! You are NEVER to touch them!"

Peggy cowered as if her mother were directing her anger at her specifically, and not the situation at hand. Seeing this, the observing chameleon bristled; snarling softly and arching the fronds on his head. Reptile – kind had been saddled with the common stereotype of being slimy and disease – ridden for – how long had it been? – centuries now. Now the salmonella bit; that was a new one on him. He wasn't about to ask what it was; something told him he was better off not knowing.

However, that thought didn't get his back up so much as watching Peggy be reprimanded for her natural curiosity had. It was absolutely no wonder she moved so hesitantly when harsh words and discouragement were her only rewards for taking such initiative. She needed a friend who could help her build confidence, and walk forward on her own. If no one stepped in to do that for her now, she might be stifled and discouraged for the rest of her life.

Peggy had seemed to lose interest in the fountains, and wandered over to the sanded area that had bulldozer – like controllers that could scoop the sand and gravel into piles. She sat down in the sand and let the mixture of sand and gravel run through her fingers. She seemed to be lost in her own world. Almost without thinking, the still – invisible chameleon slunk into the sand pile and, unbeknownst to Peggy, seated himself in front of her. Now what was he supposed to do? He had never struck up an innocent conversation with anyone in his life. In the past, he had only initiated conversations in order to obtain information, not to simply be informal.

Trying to stay as quiet as possible, he watched Peggy listlessly sifting the sand through her hands. He wished he could reveal himself to her already, but his common sense advised against it. Although he had never stayed completely invisible for this long before, and it was wearing him out. A slight wind blew a small cloud of dust into his face, making him feel like sneezing. He reached his forehands up to his muzzle and covered his nose.

As he watched Peggy play in the sand, he noticed that she was now making an attempt at forming what looked like a sand castle. Given how dry the sand was, she wasn't making much headway.

Before he knew what he was doing, the chameleon blurted, "You know, if you got the sand wet somehow, that would make it easier to sculpt into stuff, y'know?"

Peggy gave a small gasp and looked up in front of her. But there was nobody there – or so it appeared. Even so, she didn't seem to be afraid of this voice that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Are you my imaginary friend?" she asked the air in front of her. "I always wanted one 'cause I don't have many real friends."

The chameleon, now straining with all his might to remain invisible, considered. "Uh…yeah, sure, sweetie."

"You are? Great!" Peggy cried. "We're gonna have so much fun! We can play in the yard, watch movies, go to the park, and you can even go to my dad's house with me every other week, if you want!"

"Um, yeah…" the chameleon replied, wondering what in the world he'd gotten himself into now. "Sounds like a blast, hon."

"My name's Peggy, and I'm nine!" the girl continued. "What's yours?" she asked her new "imaginary friend."

The chameleon knew it was now or never. He relaxed his entire body; muscles, eyes, tail, legs, and let out a huge sigh. He finally displayed his bright scales of indigo, pink, and aqua. He stretched his legs, cleared his throat, blinked his eyes, and flashed a gleaming smile at his new friend.

"My name's Randall," he replied. "Randall Boggs. But you can just call me Randall."


	3. Watch What I Can Do

As soon as he revealed himself, Peggy reacted in the manner in which he'd been expecting all along. She gave a small, startled gasp and drew back.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Randall assured her, drawing closer to her. "I'm not gonna scare ya. I just wanted to show you what I look like."

Peggy seemed to relax, and scooted closer to him. She smiled, and Randall smiled back, showing his sparkling white rows of teeth.

"Wh – what are you?" Peggy finally asked.

"I thought you said I was your imaginary friend," Randall replied, still smiling.

"I know, but WHAT are you?" Peggy asked again.

Randall rolled his eyes and gave her a gentle nudge in the arm. "Aw, c'mon. Is it really that important?"

"Um…no, I guess not," Peggy replied. For a moment afterwards, there was a comfortable silence between the two of them.

Finally, Peggy spoke. "I like those…those…" she searched for the right words as she gestured toward the pink – tipped fronds on Randall's head and neck.

Randall reached up and smoothed his fronds back. "What, my fronds? Well, thanks! You have good taste!"

"Yeah…they look kinda like a Mohawk, almost!" Peggy replied. "I always wanted to get my hair done in a Mohawk, but my mom would probably say no."

Randall chuckled. "Seems to me like that's her knee – jerk reaction to a lot of stuff you wanna do, huh?" He came closer and put one of his arms around Peggy. "Well now, I guess most of the time, she feels there's a good reason for it."

Peggy looked at him curiously. "Really? You think she'll ever tell me what it is?"

"Meh, I doubt it," Randall replied, shrugging his topmost set of forearms. "Human grownups can be oddly tight – lipped about that sort of thing, see."

Peggy laughed at this. "You're really funny, Randall! I'm glad you're my imaginary friend!"

Randall felt the pleasant flutter in the depths of his stomach again. He looked down at Peggy's mound of sand. "Now, about getting that sand wet…"

"Peggy! Come on, we're going home now!" Peggy's mother called.

"Okay, mom! I'm coming!" Peggy called back. She looked at Randall with worry in her soft brown eyes. Had she become acquainted with her new friend only to have to say goodbye to him after just five minutes?

"How am I gonna be able to take you home? My mom will SEE you!" Peggy worried.

"Nuh – UNHH," Randall contradicted with a sly smile. And before Peggy could bat an eye, Randall had turned himself invisible!

"Randall?" Peggy asked, looking around wildly. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here!" Randall materialized for just a few seconds before turning invisible again. The next thing Peggy knew, she was being lifted right off the ground in a tight bear hug. Peggy started squirming until Randall materialized again and she found herself looking up into his light green eyes.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, toots," Randall reassured her. "Your mom will never even know I'm here!"

"Wow, Randall…you're amazing!" Peggy cried, reaching her hand up to scratch under Randall's jaw.

"Peggy, NOW!" Peggy's mother called again.

"Hang on, Peggy!" Randall told her, and with the little girl still in his arms, he rushed over to where Peggy's mother was waiting. He was careful to deposit her on the ground before Peggy's mother noticed her daughter being carried along by her imaginary friend.

"Hi, mom!" Peggy said, looking up at her mother and waving. "Sorry I took so long!"

Peggy's mother sighed. "Yes, well, just get in the car."


End file.
